'We Were Soldiers Once... And Young' - the book, not the movie.

[Wiley]

Just read what amounts to a book review on 'We Were Soldiers Once... And Young' on 'Aircrew Notices' (page 1 of 'Looking for a Damned Good Read' thread).

Anyone else read the book? Haven't seen the movie, but the book, for my money, would have to be one of the best books to come out of Vietnam.

As an ex-Huey driver myself, I'm in total awe of what those US Army chopper pilots did in repeatedly going into those hot LZs, particularly the LZ at Albany, where the North Vietnamese Army owned one side of the (very small) clearing.

As someone who's more often a visitor rather than a contributor to this site, it seems to me that for some, it's considered very fashionable here for the Brit military to look down their noses somewhat at their US counterparts. However, I can only repeat what the man on 'Aircrew Notices' says - do yourself a favour and read this book, and hope to God you're never asked to do half what those guys were asked to do.

[Tiger_mate]

I have seen the film: ..and there are many home truths in it across the full spectrum of military life including the trauma of the spouse when telegrams arrive. At least Britmil send and Officer-Female officer-Padre syndicate when bad news is about.

Napalm always looks good on films, but this movie shows what it is like on the receiving end to outstanding effect. One of those, at the end nobody gets up when the credits role films.

Chinook boys got the best job of all, so real to life;)

Well worth the time and money IMHO

[Samuel]

I've read the book, by Lt Gen Harold G Moore, and it is indeed a salutory lesson in what a well-trained and cohesive regular army unit could achieve. The huey pilots in particular acted way above and beyond as the saying goes.

There was a Brit in the unit however, an ex-British army fella by the name of Rescorla,from Cornwall in England, who features in numerous chapters as being apparently everywhere his former infantry training took him. He was sadly killed in New York 11th Sept, while re-entering the building to ensure his staff were out. It seems typical of the man.

I think I'll give the movie a miss, it'll be far to Gung Ho to be true!

Edited to insert the correct name! Thank you!

[Wiley]

I understand that the movie only covers the LZ X-Ray engagement (14th to 16th Nov 1965), and with a rather fanciful ‘Hollywood’ ending.

It’s a shame they couldn’t include the story of the battle – read debacle – two days later at LZ Albany, which probably epitomised the future of the American Vietnam War more accurately than the battle at LZ X-Ray. (One company suffered 100 casualties, 50 of them KIA, from a strength of 108.) Moore sounds like the type of CO anyone finding himself in a tight spot would pray to have leading him – and I’ll bet the poor sods at LZ Albany wished they’d had him at the helm at the time.

It’s interesting to see that he says the NVA attack at Albany might well have been a repeat of the total defeat (with every man killed) that the French Groupe Mobile 100 suffered in the same area in 1954 had the NVA been better led and got on with overrunning the survivors rather than wandering around the battlefield shooting the American wounded.

And ‘Samuel’ is right – Moore gives the Brit Cyril (Rick) Rescorla a wrap that any Brit should be very proud to read. Moore credits Rescorla, then a platoon commander, along with his Ukrainian company commander, Myron Diduryk, with much of the kudos in saving the day on the firing line on the second night at X-Ray. Sounds like Rescorla stayed the same kind of man right up to the day he died at the WTC last year.

It’s real lump in the throat stuff when you read of these same troops marching through their camp down to the helipad after being called out to rescue the desperate situation at LZ Albany only hours after being brought back to base after the (itself amazing) LZ X-Ray fight. And they landed into a pad with the bad guys literally just outside the rotor disc throwing everything they had at them. Those chopper drivers had balls.

It’s mentioned in the book that there was a move in 1991 to have five of the helo pilots involved in the two actions awarded the Medal of Honour. Although many non-Americans often think the Americans throw medals around a little too freely, I don’t think anyone who’s read what the helo drivers did in those two battles would disagree that in this case, such awards would probably be very well deserved.

[StopStart]

The movies' actually pretty good although there is a bit of wishy washy gung ho ness at the start.

It's been mentioned on here before but for a real eye opener read "Chickenhawk", again about Huey drivers. I first got the book whilst at school 15-odd years - I must've read it a good 10 times or so.

[Wiley]

What the chopper guys did at LZ X-Ray and LZ Albany was way beyond anything mentioned in 'Chickenhawk'.

[7x7]

I really enjoyed this book.

Is there anyone out there who knows any of the people who were involved? If any of those chopper guys ever wrote down their experiences, I'd love to read them.

Is there a Website?

[ragspanner]

I believe Robert Mason (the author of "Chickenhawk") was involved in operations as part of the LZ X-Ray operation & is mentioned in Lt. Gen. 'Hal' Moore's book by name.